From @NickPenticoff on X/Twitter
How do Bralen Trice and Brandon Dorlus look and what was the rotation like for the defensive line?
Well, for starters, the defensive rotation is as robust as I have seen it. As a thought exercise, take a look at the depth chart. Make note of all the defensive linemen and edge rushers. Throw them into a name generator and churn out different combinations. That’s what this rotation is like. Everyone — and I do mean everyone — has taken multiple reps with multiple different individuals. For me to sit here and name every look we got during the scrimmage is impossible. So, just take my word for it: That rotation? It’s extensive and 2-4 individuals on that defensive front are churning every two plays.
As for Trice, I think it is easy for him to get lost in the shuffle right now, which is why he is one of my top players to watch in the preseason games. If he can get some reps back on the field and show that he’s the same guy he was before the injury last year, then perhaps we will talk about him more. For edge rushers, it’s difficult to truly evaluate them when there is no tackling and no one is running at 100%. So, this next phase of the preseason will be important for Trice to establish some playing time in live situations so we can better evaluate his progress. Still, he’s getting reps across from James Pearce Jr., Arnold Ebiketie, Jalon Walker and others. He’s in the shuffle, it’s now about defining himself within in.
As for Dorlus, I have been impressed by the way coaches have utilized his “tweener” type build. There was one moment in particularly in Wednesday’s scrimmage in which the Falcons actually went to a four-man front and had Leonard Floyd and Dorlus on the end, with Dorlus acting as that “big end” look. A few plays later, Ebiketie rotated in to create the five-man front and Dorlus slid back into the interior. Like Trice, this is a big moment for Dorlus to establish himself as an asset within the rotation. I know I have been intrigued thus far with him.
